Moments
by goldskies7120
Summary: It's nearly his turn, and he's really freaking out. What will he say? What will he do? What will his colleagues think of him? In which Percy's fellow teachers ask him the question: "What was the moment when you realized that Annabeth was 'the one?" A belated Valentine's Day fic. Disclaimer: Percy and Annabeth and their story all belong to Rick Riordan.


There is always one moment when a person realizes who they want to spend the rest of their lives with.

At least, that's what Percy's fellow teachers tell him. In fact, that's what they're talking about right now. They're asking that question to all the married teachers, the "which moment did you know" one, and in all honesty, Percy's palms are sweating. He doesn't know what to say. There was never a singular point in his relationship with Annabeth that he _knew _she was the one_. _He took their friendship, and eventually relationship, day-by-day, and then suddenly, one day, he was like, heck. Why not propose to her.

He tries telling that to the teacher next to him, Cara, but she just brushes him off. Because "that's a lie, Percy. You're just downplaying yourself, like you always do." Upon which he tries asking the _other _teacher next to him, and Jorge just says, "Really? Dude, that must suck."

He stiffens at that. Does it really suck? Is there something wrong with a relationship that doesn't have 'the moment'?

No. No way. Maybe he and Annabeth _did_ have such a moment but he's just too dense to realize. Hmm. Let's see.

There's that moment in the zoo truck when they were twelve. Maybe that could work?

Yeah, Percy. Tell your coworkers: our 'moment' occurred in a getaway zoo truck filled with abused animals while a half-goat half-human's snores provided the perfect soundtrack for the most important moment of our lives.

Besides, that wasn't really the moment he realized Annabeth was going to be a permanent fixture in his life. It was a testament to their friendship, but that was pretty much it.

What else was there?

The kiss on top of Mt. St. Helens? Probably not. That was when he first discovered his feelings towards Annabeth, but he didn't realize they were reciprocated by her, nor that they were actually here to stay.

The day of his 16th birthday? Not really. The day passed by too quickly for him to actually consider what it meant for him and Annabeth. The war happened, they kissed, and then they went to sleep. Separately, of course.

The teacher next to Jorge begins answering the question. After him it's going to be Jorge. Then it will be him.

Percy's heart starts to race. There is something so undeniably stressful about this whole situation, because even if he comes up with a random event to tell his colleagues about, there is always the possibility that he's going to drop in names like Poseidon or Olympus and accidentally divulge his half-blood status.

Gods, why does blending in with mortal stuff have to be so. Freaking. Hard?

His mind starts rapid-firing ideas at him. The day he reunited with her in Camp Jupiter? Nah. That was very brief, and promptly got ruined when the eidolons possessed Leo and blasted the bejeezus out of the camp. That night in the Argo II stables? Nope. He was much too glad to be seeing Annabeth at the current time than to be thinking about his future with her. When he let Annabeth go search after the Mark of Athena on her own? No way, he was _far _too worried about her.

And then he realizes that, if anything, the moment he realized they would be permanent was when they fell into Tartarus. When their bodies were intertwined with each other, clinging desperately to each other, hoping that their time would not end but knowing that it might. When he told her that one word, _together_, he knew that he was never going to leave her side, and she was never going to leave his. As haunting and depressing that moment was, as much as that moment created a lifetime of troubles that they spent years laboring to forget, it was truly their moment. The one where they realized that their lives were bound and nothing could tear them apart.

But he sure as hell can't say that. If he did, he'd probably be sent to an insane asylum. _Yeah, guys. The moment I realized my wife and I would be together was when a spider pulled a string and sent us careening into the Ancient Greek pit of doom. _Plus, that wasn't the _only _time he could imagine he and Annabeth having a future together. It was just the most prevalent.

Percy starts in his seat when he hears Jorge's voice. "I knew it when I first met my husband, not too long ago, actually. It was at a bar, and _The Bachelor_ was playing on one of the screens, and we started discussing the lameness of that season, and that was when I realized he was my soulmate."

Another teacher asks which season, and the table's conversation fades into the background once again.

But Percy has to come up with something quick because Jorge's done, and soon enough, the teachers will get tired of arguing about which _The Bachelor_ season was best and ask him the question. And then he'll be screwed.

He wipes the back of his neck with his hand. It comes back coated with sweat. Disgusted, Percy wipes it off on his pants.

"What about you, Percy" Cheryl, the assistant principal, asks patiently. "You're married, aren't you?"

He looks up at the brunette, a deer in headlights. He has to look down at his ring finger to answer her, because he's _that_ nervous. "Uh, um...yeah."

The teachers all stare at him for a second (during which he prays they'll forget about him and move on), and then Cheryl prompts, "When was the moment you realized you and your wife were meant to be?"

A picture of Annabeth flashes in his mind. _You'd better choose a good answer, Seaweed Brain, or I'll kick the crap out of you. _

He shudders. Wipes his palms on his pants once again. "Um...well…"

Cara intervenes, "Percy supposedly doesn't have one." She looks at me pointedly.

"I mean, it's okay if he doesn't have that moment," Jorge replies. "Not every relationship does."

And that's all it takes for Percy. Because not every relationship may have one, but the way Jorge phrases it, it's almost as if he's saying only _good _relationships have one, and that the ones that don't do not last. And his relationship is certainly good. Better than good. Great. Amazing. Better than anything he's ever known. Gods, he loves Annabeth so, freaking, much.

"No, it's not that," he states defensively. "It's just…"

He thinks for a second. "I've known her for a very long time - since we were twelve - and at first our relationship was… very back-and-forth. Back when we were friends. Like, we would fight -" He laughs awkwardly. "- but we would also be the best team you could possibly imagine because we're polar opposites but also like puzzle pieces. And then we started dating at sixteen, and it worked out, so..."

He looks up. Cheryl nods approvingly, but all the other teachers look very confused.

Percy waves his hand frantically in the air, hoping that they will understand his point from his wild gestures. "It's like…"

He's stuck on a roadblock, and there's no way out. Percy sighs. "I guess I'm saying that from the very beginning, there was always something in us that knew we were meant for each other. It wasn't always obvious, but it was always there."

There is silence at the table up to a count of five. Percy can't really look at his colleagues because his face is burning. Gods, why is he so bad at this? There's a reason he teaches ecology and marine bio instead of English. He should just be a teacher of how to embarrass oneself, because that would earn him tons of Best Teacher in his Field awards.

But then Jorge decides to disrupt the quiet. "That was actually quite beautiful."

Percy looks up in surprise. He totally did _not_ expect that. He thought the teachers would make fun of him, because "it was always there" is essentially the same thing as saying "it was never there." There was never one moment because there were many countless, small moments that amounted up to the way they feel for each other. Either way, he hasn't directly answered the question.

Cara actually nods. "Yeah. I think you just overshadowed every single one of us, and some of us haven't even gone yet."

Percy blinks rapidly as the rest of the teachers agree in unison. Are they joking? Is this some kind of dream? Are they actually _praising _his answer?

Cara nudges him with her elbow. "It's not like you were very eloquent or anything. Don't get your panties in a twist."

Cheryl rolls her eyes at Cara. "Anyways, I loved how you were so honest. You expressed how you truly feel about her, and that itself shows how much love you harbor."

It may be his imagination, but he thinks he sees John (the other teacher next to Jorge) wipe a tear from his cheek. And John hardly ever cracks a smile.

There's some more silence as everyone regains their composure, wipes any remnants of tears from their eyes. Percy is still quite shocked, but he manages to refocus his attention as Cara slams her hand on the table and declares, "My turn. My moment with my husband was when…"

As the rest of the teachers at the Valentine's Day brunch take their turns, Percy relaxes in his seat. It's done. The torture is over, and he's actually _succeeded. _He decides to call it a good day.

That night, he recounts the experience to Annabeth. In response, she crosses her arms and replies, "Wow. You didn't spill anything about how you're a half-blood _and _you made your coworkers cry. That's quite impressive."

"Admit it, Wise Girl," he says. "I'm not as dense as you say I am.

She steps a bit closer to him, and she whispers in his ear, "_Never._"

He grins and gently kisses her swollen stomach. She latches her hands onto the collar of his button-down and pulls him towards her, and their lips meet. He feels her grin against his mouth, and his stomach churns in excitement.

And that's when he resolves that he will never give up these beautiful moments. Not for the world.

Because not just one, but _every_ moment is worth remembering.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! This was originally intended to be a Valentine's Day fic, but then I ended up not finishing it until now, so happy belated Valentine's Day! The title is based off of the song Moments by One Direction. I hope you guys enjoyed this fic and feel free to review!**

**\- goldskies7120**

**P.S. I'm sorry I haven't updated Wordlessly yet. I'm kind of stuck on the next chapter, but I'm trying my best. I promise! :(**


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